Beauty Within

by Emily L Goodman

  He, on the other hand, was going to be introduced to some of the ones that he’d yet to meet—and he knew full well that he was going to be on display. Callista had sent letters about him. He hadn’t read them, but he was sure that she’d prepared all of her siblings, given them some idea of what to expect.

  He sighed gustily, staring out from the shadows of his balcony at Callista in the gardens below. He could go down and join her. She was picking flowers—who knew for what? That was one of those girly things he was perfectly happy not to understand, and since, if it made her happy, he didn’t particularly care what the flowers were for, he would have been perfectly content to walk at her side—perhaps to hold her basket, or to carry a bouquet for her, if she needed her hands free for other tasks.

  There was just one problem with that: he did not share her buoyant mood, and the odds were good that if he went down there, it was going to go a long way toward destroying hers.He didn’t want to dampen her excitement—not even by the least little degree.

  So he stayed up here in the shadows and watched her, feeling almost as empty and lonely as he had before she came into his life.

  Almost—because had to admit, just watching her was enough to bring a smile to his face.

  “Is there a problem, Your Highness?” Hemsworth asked cautiously.

  “No.” The word emerged as a snarl. He’d meant to temper it better than that—especially with Hemsworth, who knew him too well. Now, of all times, was not the time to let the beast out. Callista had forgiven him one slip. He couldn’t be sure that she would be able to handle another; and she had been cautious around him for days, with only the fact that her family would be arriving soon drawing her back out of her shell.

  “Hm.” Hemsworth sounded patently unconvinced. “Then why, pray tell, are you up here while our lovely lady is down there?”

  Yes—Hemsworth knew him far too well.

  “I—” Griffin sighed. “How long is her family staying for, again?” There—that didn’t sound snarly. It sounded more like a petulant little boy who was being denied a treat. Oh, that was so much better.

  “I believe we agreed that they would be here for a period of between two weeks and a month.” Hemsworth frowned. “Did we set forth a specific timeline?” he wondered. “I was under the impression that Callista wasn’t as concerned with it as her sister—that is, that she was eager for a visit with her family, but didn’t mind it being just a visit.”

  “Here’s hoping that’s all it is,” Griffin grumbled irritably.

  “You could spend time alone with the young lady now,” Hemsworth suggested. “And Callista would likely be delighted to let you know exactly how long they plan to stay.”

  “I’d have to ask her nicely,” he muttered.

  Hemsworth chuckled. “Well, yes, I suppose so,” he agreed. “That is often one of the requirements for dealing with a young lady that one claims to be interested in courting.”

  Griffin wondered just what it would look like if his beastly form stuck his tongue out at his butler. Probably somewhat terrifying. Luckily, Hemsworth wasn’t the excitable type and was unlikely to think that his master was going to eat him because of one imprudent movement.

  “Not feeling particularly friendly about the coming invasion of relatives?” Hemsworth suggested.

  “I—” He took a deep breath. “It’s only fair to Callista,” he began.

  “I’m well aware of what is fair to Callista—and all things considered, it is very kind that you’ve permitted her family to join her here for a time.”

  “But?” Griffin asked curiously.

  “But…I’m not altogether sure this visit will be a pleasant one.” Hemsworth shuddered delicately.

  Griffin decided it would be imprudent to ask him whether it was Erin or Millicent he was most dreading being back in contact with. Millicent, who had lasted only a couple of weeks, had been flighty, easily spooked, and prone to fits of exaggeration; but Erin…

  Erin had given him the cold shoulder practically from the moment she’d arrived. She’d gone out of her way to make it clear that she didn’t care even a little bit about him, and that the only reason she was there was to save her sisters her fate—and her father a worse one. She’d been prepared to be disgusted by the castle, and of course, she had been—disgusted by it and by him.

  And now they were coming back as honored guests. At least this time, none of them had to stay here if they didn’t want to.

  He was fairly sure that Callista, at least, actually wanted to be here at this point. He didn’t think she would pack up and leave when her sisters—her sisters and one of her brothers, he thought; he wasn’t clear on the details and had told her to do whatever she liked, since there was little that could change his dread of the entire experience—decided that their visit was done.

  Would she?

  “Your Majesty?” Hemsworth asked cautiously.

  Griffin smiled faintly. He was woolgathering. He shouldn’t allow himself to do that.

  The trouble was, it was better than thinking about what was going to happen in a matter of hours, now. Her family could arrive at any moment, and the castle wouldn’t be theirs anymore—it would belong to the people who mattered to Callista, the people who were invading his private territory.

  He sighed for Hemsworth’s benefit. “I really am going to be in trouble if the curse is ever broken,” he told his butler lightly. “I believe I’m turning into something of a hermit.”

  Hemsworth chuckled. “You mean you’ve developed a marked intolerance for flighty ladies who have little conversation other than the latest Court gossip? I’m sorry, sir, but I’m not sure that’s changed substantially.”

  He ought to chastise him, or at least remind the butler that Callista’s family were coming as guests, and that as such he would have to be kind to them. He should have…but Griffin found that he had little desire at all to do any such thing.

  Instead, he added a chuckle of his own to the conversation. Flighty ladies who had little conversation other than Court gossip…those weren’t the terms that he would necessarily have chosen for Callista’s sisters, but he wasn’t going to argue that they were inaccurate, either.

  At least she was happy. He would give a great deal for her to be happy—and he was more than willing to suffer through a few weeks with her sisters in order to make that happen.

  “Theo!” Callista didn’t care about propriety. She didn’t care about what was polite. She just knew that she hadn’t seen her brother in months, and so the moment she laid eyes on him,she threw herself at him as though she was a small child again.

  He didn’t hesitate: his arms raised, wrapped around her, and he whirled her around once before letting her back down to the ground. “You’ve gotten heavier since the last time we did that,” he teased her lightly. “What are they feeding you here?”

  “Oh.” Callista blushed immediately. “It’s not the food, really. I mean, there’s this chocolate and orange dessert in town that is to die for, but I haven’t been eating it that often.” She ducked her head, not looking at him. “Sorry.”

  “No, don’t look like that,” he said quickly. “I didn’t mean—honestly, I think you’ve lost weight since you’ve been here.” He caught hold of her hand and twirled her gently around. “You look wonderful, Callista.”

  “Have I?” She glanced down at herself skeptically. There hadn’t been a lot of reasons to study herself in mirrors lately, so if she had lost weight, she certainly hadn’t noticed it.

  “You look lovely.” He gave her a winning smile.

  She stuck her tongue out at him. She would never be lovely, and Theo knew it. It wasn’t nice of him to tease her that way, but she didn’t want to start an argument on his first day here, when she hadn’t seen him in months, either.

  He tugged her to him by the hand he still held and hugged her tightly. “It’s good to see you, Cally,” he informed her.

  She hugged him back with equal desperation—though she kept
her feet on the ground this time. It wasn’t her weight that was the problem, not really. It was that Theo hadn’t picked her up and spun her that way since she was a little girl.

  She’d gotten used to Griffin, and the way he made her feel weightless every time he lifted her up onto one of his great horses. They were so far off the ground that even a mounting block was difficult to manage, but he could always pick her up like it was nothing—and did, whenever they went riding together.

  Well, her brother might not be Griffin, but it was good to see him—not to mention her sisters.

  “Kris and Stephen couldn’t make it?” Not that she was surprised. Both of them often had duties that kept them far too busy for a long visit anywhere—but she’d hoped they might be able to spare some time for her.

  “Sorry, sis.” He made a face. “Duty calls, you know? Actually, I think Kris is hoping that he’ll be able to keep Papa from getting into any more trouble.”

  “Papa stayed with him?” Her face fell still further.

  “Oh, come on, now, sis, it’s not like it’s forever. A few more months, and—” Theo frowned at her, and Callista was glad that he’d come ahead to let her know that her sisters were getting close. “Cally?”

  “What?” She found herself pulling back away from him a little, not really looking at him.

  “You are planning to come home, aren’t you?” Theo demanded.

  “I, um—” She hesitated—for the first time really hesitated. She hadn’t been here that long. It had been a matter of weeks, that was all. And yet somehow, she couldn’t imagine leaving.

  Could she really leave the castle? Leave Griffin, Hemsworth, Mrs. Picard, Mrs. Martel?

  Could she leave the town, and Arabella and Juliette, Frederick and Barrett?

  “Yeah. Yeah, of course I’m coming home when the year’s over,” she said quickly. After all, that was the answer Theo was expecting from her. It would make her feel terrible if she told him that she was staying and then things didn’t work out.

  But she couldn’t help but remember the look in Griffin’s eyes when she’d come back the first time she’d gone to visit the town—and every time thereafter. Every time she came back, it brought him fresh joy, like he worried every time she left that she wasn’t going to come back through those doors again.

  And then there was what he had told her the day he’d let the beast out. The one thing that could bring out the beast forever—the one thing he couldn’t stand—was if she left once and for all.

  What would he feel if one day, she didn’t come back? If the trial was over, and she wasn’t able to rescue him, and there was nothing they could do?

  “Don’t say that to Erin or Millie, okay?” Theo requested.

  She blinked at him, well aware that she was woolgathering and not sure why. This was a day to enjoy her family, not a day to be introspective! “What—oh. The thing about me coming home? But—”

  “They won’t believe it for a second.” He flashed her a faint smile. “Stasi won’t, either, but she’ll be willing to let you follow your heart. Erin and Millie—they’re honestly worried that you’ve lasted this long with the guy.”

  “I told you in my letters—”

  “I know everything that you’ve told us,” Theo informed her flatly. “I’ve watched your letters go from ‘nervous’ to ‘happy.’ I’m perfectly well aware that you’ve found a sense of…” He hesitated. “Home here.”

  “It’s not the same as home, not completely,” Callista said quickly. “But it’s—I don’t know, Theo, it’s really nice here. There are some wonderful girls that I’ve made friends with in the town, and you know how much I love adventure—I’ve loved having a whole castle to explore! And Mrs. Picard—she’s the sweetest woman ever, and she’s struggled so hard with the fear that if she leaves the castle, she’ll forget all about Griffin. And Hemsworth—he’s basically the most loyal servant anyone could ask for, but he’s kind, too, and funny—he could have abandoned Griffin a long time ago, but he hasn’t, you know? And—”

  “All right, all right!” Theodore held up his hands, laughing. “I like seeing you bloom like this,” he informed her. So I’ll tell you what: why don’t we walk up to the castle and meet this man who’s so captured your heart?”

  “He hasn’t captured my heart yet!” Callista protested, blushing. “He’s just—we’re friends, that’s all.” And if she was starting to think that maybe, maybe she could be the one to help him break the curse once and for all…well, that was something that she wasn’t saying to anyone yet, not even to herself, really.

  “Fine. Then let’s go introduce me to your new friend,” Theo suggested patiently.

  “I—okay.” She hesitated. “Theo?”

  “Yeah?”

  “He’s going to have his mask on. I mean, I know Erin told you that she, um…”

  “Took it off for him?” Theo suggested.

  Callista nodded. “So you know…I mean, he doesn’t look human underneath it.”

  “I got that impression,” Theo agreed patiently.

  “But, just—I mean, Erin was right about the mask. It’s a little creepy.” She blushed again, fainter this time. “I don’t like it,” she admitted. “But he thinks that it will make everyone more comfortable—well, Erin did take off running the last time she saw what was underneath it. Anyway, I just want you to be prepared. Because Erin—I mean, she was kind of right.”

  “Are you trying to tell me to be braced for the mask?” Theo asked, amused.

  “A little.” Callista shrugged uncomfortably. “He wears it and the gloves for a few minutes when we go riding, but I guess I’ve gotten used to the way his real face looks, so I don’t really mind it, you know?”

  “Is it as bad as all that?” Theo asked curiously. “His real face, I mean.”

  “Does it matter?” She wasn’t about to tell her brother that she was starting to see the lines of that beastly face as familiar, or that they had become as dear to her as his. That would just give more credence to his theory that she wasn’t planning to leave the castle—and really, it was just a silly girl’s notion, wasn’t it? She knew about the curse and knew that he was trying—desperately—to fall in love with all the girls that had come to stay with him. Any of the girls. All he needed was one who could see the beauty beneath the beast and fall in love with him spite of his visage.

  Did it have to go both ways? She’d wondered that, before. If it just meant that she had to fall in love with him…well, it was all too likely that the curse would break long before her year was over, because she was already coming to care deeply for him.

  “Why wouldn’t it matter?” Theo demanded.

  “Well, it’s not like you’re ever going to see it, unless Erin takes it into her head to pull the mask off again.”

  “I don’t think she’s likely to do that.” He made a face as he looked up at the castle, contemplating it. “In fact, I’m fairly sure that she’s going to stay as far away from him as possible.”

  “Oh, but the whole point of all of you coming here was so that we could all spend time together!” Callista protested.

  Theo raised his eyebrows, but didn’t comment. She was grateful for the lack of comment. She didn’t want to have to have this argument with him.

  “Come on.” Callista took him by the hand and half dragged him toward the castle. “I want you to meet Griffin. Just look past the mask, Theo, okay? Appearances—they just aren’t everything here.”

  “I get it. Beauty buried within.” He smiled faintly and followed after her, allowing himself to be towed the way he had when she was little and had just latched onto him. She had the feeling that there was something a little wistful in it, too.

  Did he feel the same thing that she did? Did he realize that there was something changed forever between them—as though the innocence of childhood had been ever so slightly peeled away since she’d been here?

  She’d grown up in the past three months—grown up more than she’d thought she
would, when she’d decided that she was going to be the next one to come to the castle. It meant that, no matter how childishly they might behave, her relationship with her brother was never going to be quite the same; but they could pretend, at least for a little while, and that gave her more peace than she’d thought it would.

  Griffin was waiting for them in the library. He’d told her that he would wait there—out of the way, where she could greet her family before they had to face him, but close enough that she could bring them up quickly.

  She tugged Theo straight on through the door, giggling childishly. “Griffin!” she called. “They’re here!”

  He made a soft growl before he could stop himself. She’d noticed that he did that sometimes—reacting instinctively, letting the beast have its say before he managed to pull it back. The funny thing was, she hadn’t even noticed it until he’d let the beast out in front of her.

  “Well, Theo’s here,” she corrected.

  This time, the noise was a soft sigh. Relief? It was going to be a very long visit if he was relieved for just a little longer without her sisters.

  Suddenly, Callista was wondering if she had really thought this through.She’d known that the visit wouldn’t be easy for Griffin—just going back to his mask and gloves would be quite uncomfortable—but he’d insisted that they go ahead with it anyway, and she’d thought that a little visit with her sisters couldn’t be completely terrible.

  Maybe it would be. If Erin and Millicent had given him more trouble than she’d thought…

  “The girls are just a few miles behind me.” Theo removed his hands from hers so that he could tug down his jacket. She liked that he didn’t hesitate as he walked forward, offering Griffin a hand. “They sent me on ahead—well, they’re in the carriage, so I could take the faster route.”

  “Do you have an estimated time of their arrival?” Griffin asked formally.

  “No more than an hour, at a guess.” Theo cleared his throat, glancing over at Callista expectantly.

  Formal introductions. Right. She felt her face growing hot again and wondered what it was about this particular visit with her brother that had her falling all over herself with embarrassment. She didn’t usually worry about her lack of polish and manners—well, it wasn’t like she was around that many people who really cared! Today, though, Theo had her feeling out of sorts, and like maybe she should dust off some of those protocol skills.